On February 22, FNC Entertainment’s seven-piece boy group AMPERS&ONE (pronounced “ampersand one”) brought an evening of fun to Karma DC in Northeast Washington, D.C., as part of their first-ever North American tour. The tour, aptly titled 2025 AMPERS&ONE LIVE TOUR My First_ in North America, sees members Kamden, Brian, Jiho, Siyun, Kyrell, Mackiah, and Seungmo take on nineteen cities across the United States.
AMPERS&ONE’s show served as an introduction of sorts. Many of the group’s fans, called ANDEAR, have followed the members through various Korean survival shows over the years. Kamden, Brian, and Jiho most notably participated in Mnet’s Boys Planet in 2023 but didn’t make the final lineup of ZEROBASEONE. Now a year and some change after their debut, AMPERS&ONE had the opportunity to show their group identity to both day-one ANDEAR and casual listeners.
Before the show, attendees were able to mingle around the intimate venue, shop for merch, or grab refreshments at the bar. ANDEAR could also take pics with their AMPERS&ONE biases at two official four-cut photo booths that were set up near the entrance. As it neared showtime, fans began to gather at the stage in anticipation.
Finally, the lights dimmed, and AMPERS&ONE took their positions on stage, which was accompanied by screams and barking sounds from fans. The boys embodied their youthful vibe wearing sporty jerseys, loose button-downs over tees, and casual shorts. Without further delay, the group kicked off the show with their upbeat debut song, “On & On.” It was only the beginning of the concert, and already fans were singing along at the top of their lungs. Later during the intros, Mackiah noted that they wanted to start their first-ever tour with their first-ever song.
Next on the setlist was “Someday,” a cutesy song about trying to win over a crush. AMPERS&ONE were all smiles as they performed the song, clearly having fun with it. They kept the theme of puppy love going with “He + She = We,” a catchy, feel-good track that had the audience bopping along.
After three straight songs, the group members took a break to greet the audience and introduce themselves. They used the time to get the crowd hyped, making sure they’d have fun and party it up during the show.
Mackiah then introduced “Over The Moon,” saying, “It’s a beautiful song, just like me,” he joked. Fans jumped and danced along to the saccharine love song. Notably, AMPERS&ONE performed with hand mics throughout the show, even with intense choreography. “Over The Moon” was no different and highlighted each member’s strong vocal ability (particularly Brian’s belts and Seungmo’s falsetto) to the delight of ANDEAR. They rounded out the “down bad” theme of the concert’s first part with “Sheesh,” a fun, retro-pop track that showcased their charisma on stage.
“The energy is immaculate right now. You guys are so locked in,” Mackiah said as the group caught their breath. “But for our next stage, a few of us have to go and transform like Power Rangers into different outfits for you guys. We’ll be back!”
Mackiah, Kamden, Jiho, and Seungmo went backstage, leaving Brian, Kyrell, and Siyun to engage with the audience. Kyrell noted that AMPERS&ONE regrettably didn’t have much time to explore Washington, D.C. He did a quick survey of the audience to see who wasn’t from D.C., calling out Maryland and Virginia in particular. Many fans said they had traveled from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and even Florida to see the group. Kyrell bashfully thanked them all for coming from so far away to see the show.
Siyun then introduced the trio’s adorable cover of “plot twist” by TWS. He noted that they originally performed it during the Asian stops of the &Dear My First_ Fanmeeting Tour back in the fall. The cover was well received even beyond ANDEAR, and since fans liked it so much, they decided to perform it in the U.S. as well.
Afterward, the three swapped places with Kamden, Jiho, Mackiah, and Seungmo, who came out in edgier outfits. It was fitting for their cover of “Good Boy Gone Bad” by TOMORROW X TOGETHER, which brought a darker vibe to the show. After the performance, Seungmo and Mackiah explained that they decided to split up into teams since Brian, Kyrell, and Siyun had “cuter” vibes while the rest had “sexier” vibes.
The four of them teased the audience by showing off their best sexy poses, but offset them by giving in to fan demands for aegyo and doing their own short version of “plot twist.” In one funny moment, Seungmo tried to run off the tiny stage to avoid having to do the cute poses before Kamden chased right after him.
Brian, Kyrell, and Siyun then returned for the next stage outfitted in leather, dark colors, and bomber jackets to match the other four members’ more intense energy.
“The next song is by an artist that we really look up to, so we hope you guys enjoy,” Kyrell said. The house lights went down again, setting the stage for AMPERS&ONE’s impressive cover of “Blood Sweat & Tears” by BTS. Kyrell’s backflip during the song’s dubstep intro got fans hyped for the iconic song. The group kept the hip-hop vibes going with a cover of “God’s Menu” by Stray Kids, another fan-favorite.
The next two performances were covers of Western songs, allowing the audience to enjoy some familiar bangers while showcasing the group’s talent and versatility. Jiho, Kyrell, and Siyun performed Justin Bieber’s hit, “Sorry,” while Kamden, Brian, Mackiah, and Seungmo heated up the venue with the sensual “That’s What I Like” by Bruno Mars.
Following the latter song, Mackiah shared that they had been trying to change the lyrics of “That’s What I Like” to match each city they were playing. There were a couple of amusing attempts by the members and the audience to make “I got a condo in Washington” and “I got a beach house in D.C.” work before both parties decided they couldn’t make “fetch” happen here.
The members took turns in units doing an outfit change for the next stage. In the meantime, the remaining members on stage did various TikTok dance challenges to songs like “Fatal Trouble” by ENHYPEN, “Trigger” by The Boyz, and “Boom Boom Bass” by RIIZE as ANDEAR cheered them on. The audience went wild for their cover of “Sticky,” the viral hit by Tyler, the Creator featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne.
With the crowd’s energy high, AMPERS&ONE then launched into “Broken Heart,” the catchy, rap-heavy lead single from their EP ONE HEARTED. In contrast to the first part of the show, which focused on love and infatuation, this portion saw the members looking extra cool and collected in sleek jackets and denim-and-black outfits. It matched well with the next song, “Whip It.”
They weren’t nonchalant for too long, however. The boys went right into “Sweet & Sour,” a cute ode to a schoolyard crush. After dancing for nearly thirty straight minutes, the song allowed AMPERS&ONE to focus on their vocal performance without losing their upbeat energy. Throughout the song, the members interacted with the crowd and led the audience in waving their arms to the beat.
AMPERS&ONE reminded everyone that they were down horrendous for ANDEAR in their performance of “Calling You Back,” a lighthearted pop track about waiting for a lover’s phone call just to accidentally miss it.
Sadly, it was almost the end of the group’s show. The members took a moment to share their thoughts and gratitude before heading into the final song.
“Thank you so much for coming tonight! This was our fourth show in the U.S., and we want to make sure we’re doing better every time, so we were really nervous before the show,” Kyrell shared. “But after seeing you guys cheering for us and giving us so much love, all our nervousness went away. Thank you for making so many memories with us today!”
Jiho added, “Time went by so fast. When we were going to the company practice hall, we were like, ‘Wow, we have so many songs,’” to which the crowd laughed. “Now it’s almost done, and I don’t wanna go!”
When it was Mackiah’s turn to speak, he did an energy check with the crowd to see who had a good time. The entire venue erupted in screams. “That’s about everyone, so that sounds good. I had a very good night tonight, and I’m so glad you guys came.”
“This is our very first American tour, and you guys are here to give us a lot of energy, and I’m just thankful. I’ll see you guys next time!” said Kamden, keeping his thoughts short.
After everyone had shared their remarks, AMPERS&ONE closed out the show with “Fly,” a soft, piano-led song that put the members’ harmonies on display. The audience raised their lightsticks, phone flashlights, and arms to the beat of the song.
Of course, “Fly” wasn’t really the last song. The group left the stage for a few minutes while ANDEAR chanted for an encore. At last, they returned wearing the tour merch to perform the unreleased English version of “He + She = We.” ANDEAR danced, and some people blew bubbles, which delighted the crowd and the members. However, Karma DC staff asked AMPERS&ONE to tell audience members to put the bubbles away as per the venue rules.
Before the next song, the members took a moment to teach the audience a chant to accompany the next song, “Slide.” After the lyrics, “Red light, green light,” and “All day, all night,” fans would chant “Go!” Once ANDEAR had it down, AMPERS&ONE jumped right into the pop-EDM party anthem. The stage lights flashed red and green as the venue turned into a club. They concluded the little dance party with “Crazy Stupid Fun,” which had the whole house jumping.
Finally, the boys said one last goodbye, waving at the audience before heading backstage to prepare for the post-show VIP activities. While D.C. ANDEAR were sad that the show had to end, they won’t have to wait long for AMPERS&ONE’s return. They are scheduled to appear at KaptureCon, the DMV (D.C.-Maryland-Virginia) area’s newest K-Pop convention in May. Blackswan and Hohyun have already been announced as performers alongside AMPERS&ONE, so fans should stay tuned for ticketing and lineup info.